CHAPTER 216: 195: THOUGH WE DON’T KNOW EACH OTHER, THERE’S A DESTINY THAT CONNECTS US.

Bugui didn’t mind the girl’s unrestrained scrutiny. He placed the teapot down and retrieved a red bracelet from his sleeve.

He handed it to her, saying, "This is a Peace Rope that I’ve chanted over. Wear it."

Bugui didn’t refer to himself as "this humble monk," nor did he address her as "benefactor."

His natural tone made Yu Zhi feel an even stronger sense of familiarity.

"Do we know each other?" She hesitated as she spoke, but her curiosity drove her to ask.

Bugui calmly looked at her for a few seconds, his tranquil eyes betraying no emotion: "No."

"Then why are you giving this to me? You knew I would come, didn’t you?"

For some reason, his simple denial made Yu Zhi a bit angry, and her voice grew noticeably colder.

Noticing the girl’s heightened emotions, Shi Wei immediately took hold of her hand under the table, where no one else could see, and gently squeezed it.

"I offered the Peace Rope because there is a bond of fate between us." Bugui took a sip of tea, his fingers sliding over the Buddha Beads, producing a faint, subtle sound.

From beginning to end, he maintained his detached manner, unperturbed, his tone unwavering.

Perhaps, what he said was indeed true—they didn’t know one another, yet they were bound by fate.

Yu Zhi rubbed the red cord in her hand for a long time, calming herself before softly apologizing: "I got too emotional. I’m sorry."

"It’s fine."

"Could you tell me your Dharma name?"

Bugui paused his motion, the ancient Buddha Beads hanging quietly from his wrist, contrasting with his hands that were as pristine as jade.

He met the girl’s gaze, his eyes like a trace of untouched snow in the depths of a mountain peak—pure and immaculate: "Bugui."

Bugui—"Not Returning." Not returning to where? Why not return?

Yu Zhi cast aside her doubts, looking deeply at his refined, indifferent features, at his gentle expression of compassion that lingered on his face, speechless for a long moment.

The sanctity surrounding Bugui wasn’t something that could be acquired in a single day; he resembled a supreme Buddha who had inadvertently entered the mundane world.

A person like this—how could he possibly be someone from her past?

Shi Wei took notice of the girl’s expression and felt a complicated mix of emotions. After a moment of thought, he spoke: "Master Bugui, can I have a private word with you?"

Bugui nodded, sliding his Buddha Beads as he stood, gesturing politely for them to proceed and then led him toward the inner room.

As the door to the room opened, Shi Wei took in its sparse furnishings: aside from an essential bed, a round table and chairs, and a wooden wardrobe, there was only a meditation cushion—simple and clean, just like the man himself.

"Master Bugui—"

"Just call me Bugui."

Shi Wei responded softly, deciding he wouldn’t beat around the bush: "Can you tell me—about Zhizhi’s condition?"

When Bugui had gifted the Peace Rope earlier, Shi Wei had contemplated various possibilities, such as whether her spirit might be unstable, among other concerns.

Bugui immediately saw through his thoughts, slowly rotating the Buddha Beads in his hand: "Everything happens due to cause and effect; there’s no need to worry too much."

Shi Wei: "..."

Such an answer didn’t seem to offer any clarity.

Knowing how monks tend to speak in this manner, Shi Wei didn’t press the issue further.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Do you truly not know Zhizhi?"

It wasn’t hard to see that from the moment the girl had laid eyes on him, her emotions had been unusually volatile.

Surprisingly, Shi Wei didn’t feel even a trace of jealousy because of it.

"I, as a monk, dedicate myself entirely to Lingyin Temple. How could I have known her?"

"What about before?"

An obscure, fleeting glimmer passed through the depths of Bugui’s hollow eyes: "No."

He repeated the same answer, his demeanor still composed and compassionate, leaving Shi Wei speechless without a shred of counterargument.

It must be said—Bugui truly embodied the essence of a monk constantly immersed in Buddhist scriptures.

**

As they left Lingyin Temple, the girl’s wrist bone bore an added streak of red.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she looked at the dense forest retreating farther and farther in the rear-view mirror. Only when it disappeared from view did she finally shift her gaze away.

"What did you and Bugui talk about just now?" The girl leaned sideways against the seatback, staring unblinkingly at the man’s face, studying his contours with her gaze.

Shi Wei reached out a hand to gently touch her cheek: "Not much. Don’t overthink it."

He had had a few questions earlier but, after receiving the elusive answers, had decided not to dwell on them.

Rather than racking his brain to decipher them, it was better not to ask in the first place.

Yu Zhi held his hand, her clear voice tinged with a trace of melancholy: "Shi Wei, I somehow feel like I know him, but I just can’t remember."

"Could he be a member of your family?"

"I’m an only child. My parents passed away when I was very young, and I have few relatives."

At that moment, Shi Wei’s heart ached immensely; he couldn’t imagine what kind of life the girl must have led in the past.

If it weren’t for them being on the mountain road now and unable to stop abruptly, he would have wanted to hug her right then.

"Zhizhi, if you can’t remember, then don’t force yourself to." He turned his hand to clasp hers, wrapping her in the warmth of his palm: "From now on, you’ll have me with you."

Yu Zhi softly answered, taking a deep breath and pressing her cheek against the back of his hand, drawing on the sense of security she needed at that moment.

By the time the car pulled up near an arcade, her mood had finally steadied.

Shi Wei greeted Xu Fan briefly, signaling him to head upstairs first. As soon as Xu Fan left, Shi Wei undid his seatbelt and pulled the girl into his arms.

An embrace replaced all the words left unsaid. Within it, he poured out his pain, tenderness, and affection.

With his arms tightly encircling her waist, he conveyed that he would be her lifelong safe haven.

"Shi Wei, you’re acting strange today." Yu Zhi suddenly poked her head out from his embrace, her eyes brimming with curiosity as she studied him.

"Strange how?"

"When I was talking to Bugui, you didn’t get jealous."

Under usual circumstances, if she kept looking at a stranger for that long, he would definitely get jealous.

Even if he held back at the moment, he would discreetly punish her later...

But today, there was none of that.

Shi Wei raised an eyebrow, his deep eyes carrying a shimmer of starlight. He responded with a serious face: "Are you hoping for me to be jealous, Zhizhi?"

"Of course not." She was merely commenting on how unusual it felt.

Perhaps sensing what was on her mind, Shi Wei read her thoughts perfectly and chuckled: "Jealousy over a monk? What’s the point?"

Not to mention, the girl’s gaze toward Bugui wasn’t one of romantic interest.

Moreover, since monks sever all worldly desires and attachments, there would be no development between her and Bugui. Why bother with such unnecessary jealousy?

Yu Zhi nodded in agreement, climbing onto his neck and planting a kiss on his faintly tinted lips: "I want to go upstairs and play now."